Apple II DeskTop

December 29, 2022 ยท View on GitHub

Home Page: https://a2desktop.com

Project Page: https://github.com/a2stuff/a2d

1.2

Unofficial release by the community. December 28, 2022.

General Enhancements

  • Localizations into these languages: (#327)
    • English
    • French
    • Italian
    • Spanish
    • Portuguese
    • German
    • Swedish
    • Danish
  • Mouse Keys mode simplified: (#185)
    • Open-Apple+Solid-Apple+Space to enter Mouse Keys mode. A sound will play.
    • Solid-Apple acts as mouse button.
    • Esc to exit Mouse Keys mode. A sound will play.

DeskTop Enhancements

  • Progress bar shown while loading, and when copying to RAMCard. (#330)
  • Tip about skipping copy to RAMCard is shown during startup. (#140)
  • Current day/time shown on right side of menu bar, if system has a clock. (#7, #142, #220, #444)
  • Up to 13 volumes are shown on the desktop (was 10). (#20)
  • Windows restored when DeskTop is relaunched. (#210)
  • Drag "unlimited" number of icons (was 20). (#18)
  • Menu bar menus are now drop-down in addition to pull-down. (#104)
  • Menu filler items appear with a visible separator. (#135)
  • Reorganized/renamed several menu items. (#13, #303, #304, #305, #378)
  • Add Special > Check Drive command to refresh a single drive. (#97)
  • Add File > Duplicate... command to duplicate files. (#228)
  • New file type icons: graphics, IIgs-specific, AppleWorks, relocatable, command, fonts, DAs, music, and archives. (#105, #116)
  • Desktop icon shown for AppleTalk file shares. (#88)
  • Improvements to several existing icon bitmaps. (#74)
  • Icons for volumes positioned more predictably and sensibly. (#94, #375, #540)
  • Short icon names are centered. (#208)
  • AppleWorks filenames are shown with correct case. (#179)
  • GS/OS filenames (supported by ProDOS 2.5) are shown with correct case. (#64, #385)
  • If present, BASIS.SYSTEM is used to launch unknown file types. (#40)
  • Use standard ProDOS alert tone.
  • File modification time-of-day is shown in file lists and File > Get Info. (#221)
  • File > New Folder... scrolls the new folder icon into view. (#16)
  • File > Rename... dialog pre-filled with previous name. (#156)
  • File > Get Info, list views, etc. show file and volume sizes in kilobytes rather than blocks. (#308)
  • File > Get Info shows used/total for volumes, rather than free/total.
  • File > Get Info command shows aux type for files. (#148)
  • Use commas as a numeric separator. (#270, #377)
  • BIN files can be opened with menu items without a modifier key; double-clicking without a modifier now shows a confirmation prompt. (#530, #531)
  • Double-clicking opens all selected folders/volumes. (#363)
  • Renaming volumes/folders doesn't close affected windows. (#469)
  • Show appropriate error when trying to replace an item with itself or an item it contains. (#630, #634, #635, #636)
  • Show appropriate error when a non-ProDOS-8 storage type (e.g. GS/OS forked file) is encountered. (#631)
  • Support opening archives using AUTO UnShrinkIt by Andrew E. Nicholas.
  • Desk accessories, folders, volumes, and previewable files can now be the target of Shortcuts.
  • Disk Copy moved to a separate file that can be optionally removed, allowing other components to fit on a floppy disk. (#216)
  • Appearance and movement of insertion point in text input fields is improved.
  • File Picker Dialogs:
    • Type-down selection (while holding Apple) is supported. (#610)
    • Pressing Apple+Tab (or Shift+Tab, when detectable), or holding Apple (or Shift, when detectable) while clicking Change Drive reverses the order in which the drive changes. (#598, #605)
    • The Change Drive, Open and Close buttons are now dimmed when disabled.
  • Keyboard-related changes:
    • Holding Solid-Apple while double-clicking, or holding Apple while using File > Open, or Open-Apple+Solid-Apple+O, or Open-Apple+Solid-Apple+Down opens the selected items then closes parent window. (#9, #625, (#660)
    • Holding Apple while clicking a window's close box, or pressing Open-Apple+Solid-Apple+W closes all windows. (#266, #626)
    • Holding Open-Apple on while clicking a selected file deselects it. (#359)
    • Holding Open-Apple while dragging a selection box around files extends selection. (#546)
    • Shift works as modifier to extend selection, on IIgs and systems with Shift key mod. (#340)
    • When dragging files to a different volume, hold Apple while dragging to force move. (#256)
    • Dragging files to same volume moves instead of copies; hold Apple while dragging to force copy. (#8)
    • Apple+` or Apple+Tab cycles through open windows; Shift+Apple+` (or Shift+Apple+Tab, when detectable) cycles in reverse. (#143, #230)
    • Apple+Delete deletes selected files. (#150)
    • Apple+Down opens/previews selection. (#254)
    • Apple+Up opens parent window or selects volume icon. (#254, #314)
    • Open-Apple+Solid-Apple+Up opens parent window or selects volume icon and closes current window. (#661)
    • Return is a shortcut for File > Rename.... (#275)
    • Arrow keys change selected icon. (#274)
    • Tab or ` changes selected icon in alphabetical order; Shift+` (or Shift+Tab, when detectable) changes selected icon in reverse. (#275, #671)
    • Type-down selection is supported. (#275)
    • In text input fields, Control+X (or Clear on IIgs) clears the text, Control+F deletes the character to the right of insertion point.
    • In list box controls, Apple+Up/Down act as page up/down, and Open-Apple+Solid-Apple+Up/Down scroll to the top/bottom. (#691, etc)

Desk Accessory and Apple Menu Enhancements

  • Up to 12 desk accessories are shown in the Apple menu (was 8). (#90)
  • Desk accessory files can be executed directly. (#101)
  • Desk accessory files with high bit in aux type set are hidden in the Apple menu. (#102)
  • The Apple menu can contain directories, which launch windows. (#209, #292)
  • Other executable files and previewable files can be launched from the Apple menu. (#293, #295)
  • Date and Time:
    • Expanded to include both date and time. (#11)
    • Shows 12/24hr setting. (#220)
  • Sort Directory: Support as many entries as DeskTop supports. (#86)
  • Show Text File:
    • Keyboard support. Esc quits, arrows scroll, Space toggles modes. (#4, #403)
    • Improved scrollbar handling. (#422)

Additional Desk Accessories

  • Control Panels
    • Control Panel
      • Allows editing the double-click speed (#2), desktop pattern (#31), insertion point blink speed, and mouse tracking speed (#273).
    • Sounds
      • Allows selecting different alert sounds. (#283)
    • Joystick
      • A joystick/paddle calibration tool. (#72)
    • System Speed
      • Enable/disable built-in and some popular add-on system accelerators. (#26)
    • Startup Options
      • Toggle startup options. (#476)
  • This Apple
    • Gives details about the computer, expanded memory, and what's in each slot. (#29)
  • Run Basic Here
    • Launch BASIC.SYSTEM with PREFIX set to the current window's pathname. (#42)
  • Key Caps
    • Shows an on-screen keyboard map and indicates which key is pressed.
  • Calendar
    • Displays any month, from 1901 through 2155. (#231)
  • Eyes
    • Eyes that follow the mouse. (#53)
  • Find Files
    • Search a directory and descendants for filenames. Use ? and * as wildcards. (#21)
  • Extras (optional)
    • Screen Dump
      • Dumps a screenshot to an ImageWriter II attached to a Super Serial Card in slot 1. (#46)
    • Scientific Calculator
      • Calculator with trigonometry and other additional functions. (#211)
    • Darkness
      • A debugging tool that paints the whole screen a dark pattern.
    • Map
      • A tiny world map with searchable city locations.
    • CD Remote
      • Control music playback on an AppleCD SC via Apple SCSI card.
  • Screen Savers
    • Flying Toasters
      • Homage to the classic After Dark screen saver by Jack Eastman. (#27)
    • Melt
      • Another classic screen saver effect: the screen melts down like dripping wax. (#27)
    • Invert
      • Invert the screen until the next click/key. (#261)
    • Matrix

Note that the desk accessories from version 1.2 will not work with older versions of Apple II DeskTop/Mouse Desk, due to dependence on new APIs.

Show Text File is now part of the file preview functionality (see below).

File Preview

Text, graphics, music, and font files with the correct file types can be previewed without leaving DeskTop; select the file icon and then select File > Open, or double-click the file icon.

  • Text files must be type TXT ($04).
  • Graphics files must be type FOT ($08), or BIN ($06) with specific aux type:
    • BIN ($06) Files:
      • Aux type $2000 or $4000 and 17 blocks are hi-res images.
      • Aux type $2000 or $4000 and 33 blocks are double hi-res images.
      • Aux type $5800 and 3 blocks are Minipix (Print Shop) images.
    • FOT ($08) Files:
      • Aux type $4000 or $4001 are packed hi-res/double hi-res images. (#107)
      • 17 block files are hi-res images.
      • 33 block files are double hi-res images.
    • Any file type with .A2FC suffix ("Apple II Full Color")
  • Music files must be Electric Duet files with type D5,auxtypeD5, aux type D0E7.
  • Font files must be type FNT ($07) and must be MGTK font resources. (This file type is officially reserved for Apple /// SOS font files, but unlikely to be confused.)

To preview files of other types (e.g. view a BIN file as text), you can copy the appropriate preview handler (e.g. SHOW.TEXT.FILE) from the PREVIEW folder to the DESK.ACC folder, and restart DeskTop. To use them, select the file icon and then select the appropriate command from the Apple menu.

Notable Fixes

  • Date years 00-39 are treated as 2000-2039; years 100-127 are treated as 2000-2027. (#15)
  • Fix resource exhaustion when opening/closing many windows. (#19)
  • Fix inconsistencies around maximum number of icons allowed. (#529, #537, and more)
  • Fix crashes when maximum number of icons is exceeded. (#527, #538)
  • File > Quit returns to ProDOS 8 selector, and /RAM is reattached. (#3)
  • SELECTOR.LIST file created if missing. (#92, #497)
  • Handle SELECTOR.LIST being modified while DeskTop is running. (#526)
  • Handle SELECTOR.LIST missing when Selector is launched. (#485)
  • Update the Shortcuts menu size when entries are modified. (#518)
  • Prevent crash after renaming volume. (#99)
  • Prevent crash with more than two volumes on a SmartPort interface. (#45)
  • The Startup menu now includes slot 2. (#106)
  • Correct odd behavior for file type $08. (#103)
  • Correct rendering issues with desktop volume icons. (#117, #152, #153, #182, #505)
  • Correct rendering issues with file icons. (#151, #181, #365, #366, #369)
  • Prevent occasional rectangle drawn on desktop after window close. (#120)
  • Fix window animation after File > Close. (#145)
  • Empty directories can be copied. (#121)
  • Control+Reset quits cleanly back to ProDOS (except buggy emulators). (#141)
  • Prevent crash with more than 8 removable devices.
  • Disk Copy works with disks over 8MB. (#386)
  • Prevent Disk Copy crash with remapped drives. (#306)
  • Format/Erase now works correctly with disks over 20MB. (#557)
  • Scrollbars no longer activate unnecessarily. (#347, #348, #394)
  • "There are 2 volumes with the same name." alert is now shown correctly. (#542)
  • "Files remaining" counts were incorrect in various cases. (#462, #470, #534)
  • Copying to RAMCard on startup could fail for directories with specific numbers of files. (#509)
  • Handle "Device off-line" errors after ejecting disks. (#536)
  • Prevent copying a folder or volume into itself. (#495)
  • Don't clear selection when clicking on a window's header. (#362)
  • Don't initiate drag-select after a double-click. (#545)
  • Prevent drag rectangle from wandering when moving cursor outside window.
  • Don't wait for possible double click when clicking scrollbars. (#183)
  • Fix horizontal scroll behavior when scroll thumb is offscreen.
  • Conditionally restore /RAM after quitting Disk Copy. (#333)
  • Clip target icon rendering while dragging. (#381)
  • Fix repainting overlapped icons after dragging. (#687)
  • Fix various window sizing problems. (#180, #514)
  • Prevent duplicate windows for the same directory. (#144)
  • Fix File > New Folder... name field behavior when re-prompted. (#127)
  • Fix File > Rename... name field when IP at the start. (#232)
  • File > New Folder... / File > Rename... input no longer truncated after IP. (#118)
  • Fix issues with Special > Format a Disk... dialog when re-shown. (#177)
  • Fix vertical text overlaps in dialogs. (#126)
  • Fix dialog inconsistencies. (#207, #411, #528)
  • Fix numerous keyboard consistency issues. (#328, #332, #336, #337, #341, #396, #406)
  • Clip long strings in dialogs. (#465)
  • Prevent crashes and mis-painting when windows are offscreen. (#555)
  • Prevent renaming, formatting, or erasing a volume to have the same name as another volume. (#570, #577)
  • File Picker Dialogs:
    • Correct sort order. (#489)
    • Correct IP placement/truncation when switching focus. (#446)
    • Fix iteration with Change Drive button. (#410)
    • Prevent files in list from disappearing in certain cases. (#487)
  • Desk Accessories:
    • Date and Time: Read-only on systems with a clock. On systems without a clock, date is saved for next session. (#30, #39)
    • Calculator: Doesn't mis-paint when moved offscreen and other fixes. (#33, #34)
    • Sort Directory: Don't need to click before sorting. (#17)
  • Hardware/Emulator Specific:
    • IIc Plus: Doesn't spin slot 5 drives constantly. (Use Special > Check Drive) (#25)
    • Laser 128: Avoid hangs checking SmartPort status. (Use Special > Check Drive) (#138)
    • IIgs:
      • Color DHR is re-enabled on exit. (#43)
      • Mono DHR is re-enabled when returning from system control panel. (#193, #440)
      • /RAM5 is now correctly recognized as a RAMCard. (#438, #439)
    • Macintosh LC PDS IIe Option Card:
      • Doesn't crash on startup. (#93)
      • Correct problems with interrupts affecting AppleTalk. (#129)
    • KEGS-based IIgs Emulators: Don't crash on startup. (#85)
    • RGB cards: Color DHR is re-enabled on exit. (#111)
    • Avoid modifying Uthernet II registers. (#280)
    • GSplus: Fix formatting SmartPort devices. (#309)

A full list of fixes in Apple II DeskTop 1.2 can be found at https://github.com/a2stuff/a2d/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aclosed+milestone%3A1.2

Known Issues

1.1

Final release by Version Soft/Apple Computer dated November 26, 1986.

See also: